Deep freeze wreaking havoc on pipes at homes and businesses

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- These bone-chilling last few days have put pipes around the region through something of a stress test.

Many of the pipes didn't hold up, and that had repair crews working straight through the long holiday weekend.

"It's just been non-stop. Like, unusual. We're experiencing 60 to 100 calls a day," said Warren Chappell, owner of Boss Plumbing and Heating.

The high demand for repairs is keeping plumbers busier than ever.

Volunteers at Commodore Barry Irish Center returned to pools of water in the kitchen, icicles forming on the garage and water pouring into the basement after a weekend away.

The old water pipes were buckling under the extreme cold.

"We were the victim of the cold weather," said Sean Mcmenamin, president of The Irish Center.

Chappell says there are simple ways to prevent this from happening.

"Open the faucet up and let it drip out. Now you have constant flow of water going through the pipe - water is not just sitting in the pipe," said Chappell.

He also says you should keep your heat on and open cabinets.

For people dealing with a burst pipe, the first step is to always locate your water shut off valve.

In Philadelphia, the water shut off valve is typically located around the basement area.

If your pipes do freeze you'll want to call a plumber or landlord.

"When you're dealing with cold temperatures, you never know what's going to happen. I've seen a little bit of everything. I don't know when this will end, but we're going to keep fighting, chipping away and trying to save as many people as we can," said Chappell.